Probably the best, most accurate Police procedural book I have read. Absolutely a 'must read' and hopefully the start of a series. If I have to be picky maybe the finale is a bit OTT (no spoiler) but simply an outstanding novel.
My thanks to NetGalley and Canongate for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

Overall a good read. Will definitely try out more of this author's books.
Some huge clichés- bent coppers, dysfunction lead detective family. These really are getting so ubiquitous now you feel like a certain bowl of petunias or a sperm whale.
Slow to start and a drawn out ending but great characters- I love Craigo and Mackie. Caplan needs to eat a few pies and be less frigid although she does fair very well in a fight and can stand her ground really well.
Could be tighter written and less verbose
Looking forward to reading more

I do love this author’s novels but I found this more difficult to get into than earlier ones. As ever, the lead detective needs to have family problems but just about every detective book goes down that road. This one has been seconded to the Highlands as a punishment when the lead detective goes missing. A rich family which has been landowning for centuries are found dead- well, all but the youngest brother, are- ,carefully arranged in their home. Two local youths are found trying to break in and are easy choice suspects. There is also a background of a wealthy local charity and a cult of devil worshippers. The story unfolds gradually, gaining momentum when it seems that local police are involved.. The end is not a huge surprise except in the lead detective deciding to relocate there. This is a good read but not Ramsay’s best.

4.5 rounded up
DCI Christine Caplan #1

Two burglars aiming to steal the devil stone get the shock of their lives after gaining entry to Otterburn House, home of the wealthy McGregor family. The murders of five members of the family appear to have the hallmarks of a Satanic killing, especially as the only item missing in a house full of treasures is the devil stone. The crime scene however, is perplexing, making little sense to the local police and giving them a mishmash of messages.

Meanwhile, in Glasgow DCI Christine Caplan has not had the best of days having endured a hearing for professional misconduct, a disastrous encounter with a handbag thief who seems as high as a kite and if that’s not enough to contend with, her home life can only be described as complicated. When the SIO of the McGregor case, DCI Bob Oswald goes AWOL, Christine is dispatched north to Conchie in the Highlands to assist DI Garry Kinsella and DS Iain Gowlay. When she arrives it becomes apparent that it’s not the tightest of ships and perhaps even more concerning, where is Adam McGregor, the youngest and hopefully, sole surviving member of the family???

Oh wow, I love a well constructed, exciting police procedural with excellent characters which Caro Ramsay delivers here in spades.
The characterisation is exemplary, there are a lot, but they’re all well crafted and very easy to visualise. You can picture DC Craigo with his sharply pressed chinos, unkempt shirts and unusual way of thinking. Then there’s DC Toni Mackie with her over tight tops and the less said about her feet the better! As for Caplan, let’s just say you would definitely want her on your side, she’s straight talking, an incisive thinker and yes, Christine just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you. I really like her and totally root for her.

The plot is complex, intense and dark, having multiple strands to it and it soon becomes clear that there’s a rotten heart beating in this beautiful area . The stunning scenery of the highlands is so well described and contrasts sharply with the dangerous sequence of events that Caplan finds herself in the centre of, with zero idea of who she can trust. The atmosphere is positively electric and tense, it’s full of brooding and direct threats as one of the number of sinister events plays out. Caplan is in acute danger, she must exercise all of her wits and her mental and physical strength to stay even half a step ahead if she’s to find a perpetrators whose reach is long. It’s an exhilarating high octane read, it’s a bit chaotic at times but that’s in keeping with the circumstances and with a pace that accelerates as it moves to an exciting ending. It’s absolutely gripping and the author has me hanging on every word and eagerly anticipating number two in the series.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Canongate for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
The first in a series of books to feature DCI Christine Caplin.
When a family of five are found slaughtered in their west coast of Scotland home and the chief investigating officer disappears on his way home from the crime scene, Caplin is sent north from Glasgow to work with the local officers, but are some of them in some way linked to events and what of the youngest son of the murdered family who is missing ? Throw in the tale of powers the missing "devil stone" allegedly has and a "cult" on an island off the mainland and you have all the ingredients for a pretty decent crime drama.
Look forward to the next installment.
A solid four out of five stars.

Complicated murder case set in the Highlands. Many strands to be connected and unravelled. A good read.

This is the type of book it is difficult to put down. A female detective with a difficult family life and accusations of misconduct end up in the Highlands solving a gruesome crime, but just who can she trust? Believable characters and a great setting.

Don't let the fact that devil worship is mentioned in the book stop you reading this book. I am hoping the DCI Caplan will be back in future novels.

“The Devil Stone” by Caro Ramsay is the first book in the DCI Christine Caplan series. I recently read the second book in this series and enjoyed it so much I wanted to catch up on how it all started. This is a very good police procedural novel set in the atmospheric Highlands of Scotland like so many good crime novels seem to.

A wealthy family in the small village of Cronchie are massacred and sets the scene for an exciting investigation. The family’s heirloom, known as ‘the devil stone’, is the only item stolen, leading the initial suspicion towards known satanists. However, when the investigating officer mysteriously disappears, DCI Christine Caplan is brought in from Glasgow to uncover the truth and restore her own reputation.

DCI Christine Caplan is a very strong character and like so many detectives in crime series is flawed with a troubled past. Caplan feels she’s been exiled to the Highlands as punishment for a minor mistake but remains determined and confident in her abilities.

This book is an excellent start to the series and is well plotted and paced. As Caplan delves into the investigation, she quickly realizes that the murder scene was staged, and there’s something far more sinister at play than just the theft of an heirloom. There are lots of twists and turns along the way in this novel that kept me guessing.

The tension builds throughout and Caplan’s own life is in danger as she tries to uncover the truth. This is a very good atmospheric crime novel with strong characters and an engaging plot that is ideal for fans of police procedurals.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Canongate for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The first in the series featuring DCI Christine Caplan. This book is fast-paced, well-written with a twisty, exciting plot. The characters are diverse with plenty of depth. I really enjoyed the intricate plot that kept me guessing for most of the story. This is an excellent series.

Caro Ramsay is already in my list of ‘must read’ authors and her latest offering simply confirms why.
An enjoyable read from start to finish, flows well and doesn’t over do the characters and plot line. If you have read Caro’s books in the past you will enjoy this one. If you haven’t, you are missing out.

I loved this great murder mystery story. DCI Caplin is a female detective sent from Glasgow to the North of Scotland as a punishment and demoted to DI Caplin.
The mystery of 5 members of the same family murdered in strange circumstances.
I have to assume that this will be the first of many books about this character. Can't wait.

DCI Christine Caplan has been having a rough time. Home life has been a trial, with her husband suffering from mental health issues and in deep depression, and a son who is glued to his gaming and never comes out of his bedroom. Along with a an investigation against her into missing evidence in a recent case which has resulted in her demotion from DCI to DC, things have been slowly spiralling out of control.

In a former life Caplan was an aspiring dancer, and still has all the attributes but sadly grew too tall. As a special treat, a night out with her daughter Emma, sees them at the ballet. Leaving the venue they witness a mugging, and the collapse of both the culprit and the victim. Whilst Emma deals with the elderly lady who has been mugged, Caplan assists the mugger, who is fitting and bleeding profusely. The next day the death of the mugger is another black mark against Caplan, as witnesses claim that she aggravated his death.

With all this against her, it is decided by the powers that be that she is sent to a more remote part of Scotland, away from Glasgow, where she will assist another, less experienced, DC on a mass murder case, as the original DCI on the case as disappeared.

Of course, nothing is as it seems!

This is a really gripping read, very fast paced and very enjoyable. With lots of twist and turns, the book sets a nice foundation for the series that will come, and I look forward to reading more of Caplan and her team’s adventures.

Thank you NetGalley.

The talented Caro Ramsay begins a new Scottish crime series, featuring the complicated Glasgow DCI Christine Caplan, facing dangerous, powerful and deadly forces intent on besmirching her reputation, and endangering her career and her life. An issue over evidence in a case and a mugging gone wrong has her demoted to DI, and sent to the Highland village of Cronchie to join the local police team where soon to be retired DCI Bob Oswald has strangely gone missing. He was in charge of a high profile macabre case in which 5 members of the wealthy and privileged McGregor family, the elderly Lady Charlotte, parents Stan and Barbara, and their children, Catriona and Gordon are discovered strangled, and posed next to each other, with a polaroid photograph stuffed down their throats.

The crime scene at Otterburn House was discovered by 2 teenage housebreakers, the massacre is carefully staged to appear as part of a satanic ritual, with a goat's head and inverse cross, and despite the presence of jewels and exclusive products, the only thing taken is the precious family heirloom, the devil stone, steeped in folklore and history. The police team is led by the inexperienced but ambitious DI Garry Kinsella, supported by DS Iain Gourlay on a fast track career path. Caplan is made to feel like an unwanted outsider, sidelined, kept out of the loop and is assigned local DC Finnan Craigo with the express purpose of hampering her ability to make any progress. Caplan is weighed down by worries over the family she has left behind in Glasgow, husband Aklen and the serious issues he is afflicted by, son Kenny fast disappearing into a virtual world and not attending university, although daughter Emma is more like her, highly organised and efficient.

Caplan finds herself under huge pressure to solve a case with multiple threads, including police corruption and the drug trade, as she races against time to find the true perpetrators of the most heinous of crimes. Ramsay does a terrific job of establishing Christine as the central protagonist and a fascinating and disparate cast of supporting characters, this includes her best friend Lizzie, her family, DC Toni Mackie and DC Craigo. This is the most gripping and twisted of Scottish crime reads, with a wonderful sense of location, I found myself completely immersed in the storylines and could not stop reading until I had reached the end with the thrilling finale. The author has come up with what promises to be a superb new Scottish crime series, and I cannot wait for the follow up. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

The Devil Stone is the first book in the DCI Christine Caplan series by British author, Caro Ramsay. Only just demoted to DI, Glasgow detective Christine Caplan is sent north to assist with a mass murder case near the village of Cronchie. Five members, three generations, of one family have been killed in what has been set up to look like a Satanic ritual. The youngest son of this wealthy, prominent, local land-owner family, Adam McGregor, is absent.

Missing from the house, the Deilstane the family kept safe, local legend claiming death and disaster would follow if the stone was removed. Two teens break into the house, intent on stealing exactly that (and perhaps more) while the family is away on a cruise. They are members of the local Deilmen, devil worshippers, but their shock and distress at finding the three-week-old corpses is undoubtedly genuine.

After he leaves this disturbing scene, the SIO, DCI Bob Oswald fails to return home, one reason Caplan is sent there; that the DI leading the case lacks experience and confidence is another factor. DI Garry Kinsella claims to be relieved that Caplan has arrived to help, but also seems to be wedded to the idea that two inept teens committed the murders, then returned weeks later: Caplan remains sceptical.

Working with a team she doesn’t know, some of whom seem less that capable, others, quite secretive, is a challenge, as are the locals who openly display mistrust of the police. But Caplan is also distracted by lack of support from her superiors in a mugging incident where the teenaged assailant died.

She leaves behind in Glasgow a dysfunctional family: a chronically depressed, unemployed husband, a son failing to commit to his education; and a daughter conflicted between tending family and advancing her career. Disturbingly, all her personal problems are apparently common knowledge within the team. Knowing exactly whom she can trust is a dilemma.

Two more deaths occur before things become clear, and the one that looks like a tragic accident arouses Caplan’s suspicion enough that she looks into Bob Oswald’s most recent case. As she closes in on what’s really happening, multiple attempts to discourage her investigations only firm her resolve.

Ramsay’s newest series offers a strong female protagonist, plenty of twists, turns and red herrings to keep the reader guessing, and a nail-biting climax. More of this cast of characters is most definitely welcome. Excellent Scottish crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Canongate